UV resonance Raman (RR) techniques will be developed for application to structural aspects of nucleic acids and proteins, which underlie their biological function. Novel H-bond patterns will be examined in nucleic acids, including third strand interactions in triple helices and mispaired bases in oligonucleotide duplexes. Ribonuclease A folding mechanisms will be evaluated through direct monitoring of the proline isomer population, and neurophysin conformation changes associated with the binding of hormone peptides will be investigated. A transient UVRR study of bacterial photoreaction centers will be undertaken in order to elucidate the protein dynamics associated with photo-initiated electron transfer.